Investors in Bursa Malaysia tend to look at earnings rather than assets. This does not make sense when you consider sectors such as utility and real estate where assets play a central role.

A case in point is Bursa IGB Berhad, a real estate group with investment properties, hospitality and property development activities.

It current trades at RM 2.49 vs its book value of RM 2.98 per share. The 2023 book value of its investment properties was stated as RM 3.9 billion. However, in the Notes to the Accounts, IGBB reported that the fair market value of its investment properties totalled RM 10.7 billion.

The realistic asset value is then not what is stated in its book, but has to include what is not captured. On such a basis the asset value should be more than RM 7 per share.

So why has the market not recognized this? This is because IBGG latest EPS is only RM 0.23. Of course, the market does not expect IGBB to sell off all the assets and return the money to shareholders. So the market ignores the value of the assets. But what if there are other ways to unlock the value of the assets?

For more insights visit “Is IGBB an investment opportunity?”